The New Death
by Anonymous Hijink
Summary: As Ichigo lay dying on the sands of Hueco Mundo, an offer is given to him by a Shinigami like no other.


**OK , new story.**

**I don't own Bleach.**

**Enjoy!**

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><p>'<em>I can't die yet, they aren't safe! I refuse to leave this world until the world and everyone in it is safe!'<em>

'_**You can't die yet?'**_A voice whispered within my mind as I clung to my life with all of my strength.

'_I can't let this happen! My friends still need me, my family needs me! I __**WON'T**__ die! Not until their safe.'_

The voice, dark and echoing, laughed to itself. _**'Is that so?'**_

I didn't say anything to that as my eyes closed, my friends screams filling my ears as they prepared to face the opponent that had defeated me. A part of me wanted to scream at them for being so stupid. If **I** couldn't beat him what made them think **they** could?

'_This war isn't over. I will not die until it is.'_

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><p>'<em><strong>Even on the brink of death the child still has his resolve?' <strong>_**I asked myself silently as I let out a sigh, a smile curling my lips.**

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><p>'<em><strong>Very well, Child, I will help you. For a cost, of course.'<strong>_

I mentally snorted. _'Who are you?'_

'_**That is not important, Child. You can not accomplish what you wish to alone. The price I ask of you is that you take over my position upon the end of the war.'**_

From the way he speaks I know he expects me to refuse. _'I will. Just help me protect my family and I'll do anything.'_

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><p><strong>I blink as his words, though no more than thoughts, reach me. The boy has surprised me again. I am beginning to believe that his parents should have given him another name.<strong>

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><p>'<em><strong>You are willing to pay this price, Child? Even though you do not know who I am?'<strong>_

'_For you to be able to help me who can you be but Death himself?' _I can almost hear him chocking on his own breathe as I thought those words. I force my eyes open to look one more time to my friends before they close, a small smile on my lips, and I follow Death.

As Death and I move trough the blackness that isn't really darkness I listen to what he is saying.

'_**If you are to succeed then you will need to keep as much the same as you can, change only what you must. You MUST let the war take place.' **_He looks over his shoulder at me then, his blood red eyes locking on mine._**'You will be returning to the time you trained with Urahara Kisuke. From there you will have to follow your path carefully.'**_

We had stopped walking now, Death turned to face me. The man lowered the hood that hid his head to reveal dark brown hair and tanned skin.

'_**The appearance of your soul within your inner world will be changed to what it is now.'**_

Quietly I blinked and tilted my head to the left in question. Death sighed and reached his hand out, forming a reflective surface, similar to a mirror even if I knew it wasn't one.

My eyes grew wide as I saw the reflection looking back at me. My left hand reached up automatically to the black hood that had appeared over my hair and pulled it down, bringing my now shoulder length bright orange hair into view. My eyes had gained a red undertone to them and seemed almost purple as my pale blue spiritual pressure swirled along the surface, leaving only a small sliver of the chocolate brown that I remembered. My skin was a slightly paler tan than it used to be. The shihakusho that I wore had changed along with my Zanpakuto. The lower part of my shihakusho was a midnight blue that shimmered to black whenever I moved, a blood red obi wrapped around my waist. The upper part of the shihakusho was black and looked almost like a hooded version of my Bankai coat. Below the coat was a white and red vest. My Zanpakuto was sealed and rested at my left hip in a blood red sheathe that had silver and black crescent moons floating across the surface. The guard was made by two crescent moons, one silvery white the other pitch black, facing each other, the points of each moon crossing over the others. The hilt was wrapped in midnight blue material with small areas of black visible below it, two tassels hung from the end, one a pale silvery blue and the other black. I instinctively knew that the blade that was hidden within the sheathe was a pale silver that would appear black when the light hit it.

My mouth moved in silence for a few minutes as I was rendered speechless. I could _feel_ Death's amusement rolling off of him in small waves.

When I had regained the ability to speak, I whispered a single word. A single _name_. "Getsuiten."

A small pulse from the sword sealed at my hip was my only response, my right hand moving to rest against the hilt.

I focussed on Death again, willing the reflective surface away, I was only mildly surprised when it disappeared at the mere thought. "Anything else?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"_**Yes," **_He stated easily. _**"Outside of your inner world you will appear as you did before this trip. And there is a reason you will be returning to your training with Urahara Kisuke, you must, above all, never forget that your sword is not the same as it has been."**_

His words were calm but I could understand the severity in them. Not trusting my voice after that I nodded in understanding, waiting for Death to continue.

"_**You will take my blade, do NOT release it unless the circumstance is dire."**_

At his warning I felt a second sword settle at my hip. A brief glance revealed little about the blade. A black hilt and dark handgaurd. Sealed the Zanpakuto didn't look anything special, neither did Sode no Shirayuki. _Strange comparison or what? Death's blade and the White Snow. Dying must be having some sort of affect on my sanity._

"Don't release your sword, got it. Mess with the timeline as little as possible, no prob. My appearance differs between my inner world and the outer one, weird but whatever. Reconnect with my Zanpakuto, and get to know yours while I'm at, that'll be a long few months of confinment to my inner world. Training with Urahara, better not kill the crazy geta-boushi." I muttered to myself, checking each one off as I said it before glancing curiously at Death. "Is that everything I'm going to need to know?"

My soon-to-be-predesser nodded, a tired light in his eyes as he vanished in a show of black reishi. I tipped my head in respect for a moment before making my way through the black area to the portal that I could sense. It was time to start this war over.


End file.
